Improvement in track-clearers



W. HAMILTON.

TRACK-CLEARER.

Patented Jan. 4,1876;

INVE N25] WITNESSES- UNIT D STATES PATENT OEEIGE.

WILLIAM HAMILTON, OF EALLsBURc, NEw YORK, AssId noR 0E ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO J. L. LA MoREE.

lMPROVElVlEN' l' IN TRACK-CLEARERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 171,906, dated January 4, 1876; application filed November 29, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILL AM HAMILTON, of Fallsburg, in the county of Sullivan and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Snow-Plow; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in snow plows, and is especially intended for cleaning the snow out of cuts where the snow has drifted, and where there is not room enough on either side of the track to throw it to one side.

My invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts, that will be more fully described hereafter, wherebyload after load of the snow can be forced upon the plow and then be drawn back out of the cut and dumped on one side.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my plow. Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation, of the same, showing a modification of the check.

a represents a low rectangular frame, placed on wheels, and which is designed to be pushed along the track in front of the locomotive, to which it is attached by means of the coupling 1). The top of this frame consists of a broad, flat plate, 0, which is hinged to the frame at one side only, so that the opposite side can be raised or tilted up to throw off the snow. The front end of this plate is somewhat pointed, sharpened and hinged to the front of the plate 0, so that it can be raised and lowered to gather the snow at any desired level below the bottom of the plate. Placed on each side of the front end of the plate 0, either just back of, or on the hinged end d, are the two vertical-cutters e, which divide the snow as it is being forced upon the plow. Either pivoted between the two cutters, as shown in Fig. 3, or hinged to the top of the plate 0, is a check, f, which allows the snow to very readily pass upon the plow as it is being forced upon it; but should the snow, as the plow is being drawn back, begin to slide OK, the end of the check at once catches the snow, and holds it upon the plow.

into cranks h on the free side of the plate 0, which cranks project upward, as shown, and have their ends united by a connecting-rod, i.

To each of the shafts g is secured a suitable cam, eccentric, or other device, I, which, as the shafts are turned backward by the cranks, strike against the under side of the plate and tilt it upward, so as to throw off the snow. The shafts are prevented from turning too far by the stop 0.

As the power required to dump the snow is very great, the locomotive is made to do this work at any moment desired by means of a catch or other device, 1, on one of the wheels of the locomotive. A hooked or other bar, 2,- projects back from the rear end of the counecting-rod to the wheel, but is kept from contact with the catch by means of. any suitable device until the time for dumping. The engineer, by pressing down with his foot upon the end of the rod, throws it in connection with the catch, when the cranks are drawn back and the load dumped. The plow is again driven intothe out until it is loaded, and then again backed out and dumped, and so .on until a clear passage is cut through.

The plow may also be used for cleaning out dirt and gravel from cuts.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- The plate 0, hinged at one edge to the frame a, in combination with the cams or devices 1, cranks, and a connecting rod that extends back to thelocomotive, substantially as shown.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of October, 1875.

WM. HAMILTON.

Witnesses:

BoBT. M. BARR, J. WM. GARNER.

Journaled in the frame are t .e two shafts g, having their ends formed. 

